This fox is one of our predators.
Raccoons and foxes and hawks, oh my!
No matter where you live, there are predators that are a danger to your flock of chickens. Most people expect predators in rural settings, but they are also in urban and suburban settings.
Most are sneaky, lurking at different hours of the day or night, depending on the predator and where you live.
Here are the Top 10 Chicken Predators, but some common predators are:
- bear
- bobcat
- cat
- coyote
- dog
- fox
- hawk
- opossum
- owl
- raccoon
- rat
- skunk
- snake
- wolf
- weasel
Overall, if you have experienced problems with something trying to gain (or something that has gained) access to your flock, try installing a trail camera. This will take pictures or videos of the predator. You can then equip yourself to deal with the problem accordingly.
Here are 8 tips for keeping your chickens safe from predators:
1. Chicken coop – Inspect for gaps and holes, making the necessary repairs. Some predators will sneak in even the smallest gap. If possible, raise the coop off the ground at least a foot to discourage things like rats and snakes from getting underneath.
2. Windows and vents – These should have some type of mesh to help prevent small animals from gaining access.
Inside there are 8 nesting boxes, roosts for night, and vents for circulation.
3. Enclosed run – Fencing, such as chicken wire or welded wire should be nailed to wood (we used 2 x 8’s) on the ground, or sink the wire directly into the ground. This makes it harder for the predator to dig under, compared to the fencing just resting on the ground.
Evidence of a digging predator, whose efforts were foiled by buried hardware cloth.
4. Covered run – Poultry netting can help keep aerial predators at bay.
Big door barrel lock, small door hook latch for now, but may need upgrading.
5. Guard animals – Trained dogs, llamas, and donkeys can be helpful in scaring away predators. A rooster will crow when danger is nearby. Although nothing is completely effective, the commotion made by these animals will, if nothing else, get your attention.
6. Remove food at night – Leaving food of any type will actually lure predators. Finding chickens will be an added bonus for them to eat.
7. Lock the chickens in the coop at night and close the run door – Even if you let your chickens have free rein, it is helpful to close them up at night for added protection.
8. Install an anti-predator device – Nite Guard Solar can be used as protection for night time predators, activating at dusk. It has a flashing light that is sensed as an eye and therefore threatening to predators.
Taking some extra precautions like these may help in keeping your flock safe.
Read more on predator prevention:
– Top 10 Chicken Predators
– 10 Tips for Predator-Proofing Chickens
– Neighborhood Cat or Predator
– Patriotic Predator: The Bald Eagle
– Protecting Chickens from Predators
– Keep Predators Away from Your Flock
– Predator Summer
– Proper Planning for Chickens
63 Comments
Too bad we can’t add pictures to the posts, as it’s said one picture worth a thousand words!
You can always email me at ctilghman@ogdenpubs.com I can share photos on our FB page. 🙂
Such a brilliant idea! My girls would love to won!
We just started raising chickens a couple months ago so this would be great as we’re moving them in to their coop next week!
I have one of everything around here. Need these lights bad
I need thus bad for my ducks and chickens… we have a bad skunk and possum problem…
Cool
Shared on FB IddyBit Acres. thank you
Love it
I would be very interested in giving these a try!
I have used these for years, and they are wonderful! I also have Great Pyrenees, but they can’t do all the work themselves. Before we got the lights, we lost a few birds to owls, which silently sneak past the dogs while it is still dark but the early chickens were venturing out. Once we got the lights, the owls stopped.
I used them in South Carolina with totally free ranged birds, with tremendous success. I live in South Dakota now, and continue to use them. We have coyote packs howling all around us, and mountain lions have passed just fifty yards away from our pasture, but none dare to come any closer. Sure, my Pyrenees are at work, but the lights really close the deal.
Entered
Have heard many good things about this product and I myself would love to be able to win these two products!!
I have one of the night guards, on the door to the run. It has prevented the skunks from digging there! I could definitely use a few more. I’d also like to see if the repellant tape would help deter the hawks and deer!
The solar lights are very affective an I would recommend them for any and all predators 4 legged and 2 legged . Since we have been using them we have had no deer coyotes or moose on the property.
Interesting information for our laying hen operation and store as well!
This was a very informative amount of information and useful to our business in promoting and selling the Night Guard Product, as important to our raising of many breeds of laying hens.
Thank you
Louise
Would love to give this a try with my girls… my dogs are too small to protect anything..lol… I could use this for them too…
I could use this!!!!
I would love to win this, we lost one of our chickens just a couple of weeks ago to a predator.
I would like to comment on your product; I have it placed on my acreage in 8 locations; it also (so far) seems to keep the black bears at bay. Since having this Nite Guard product for the past 3 years I haven’t been bothered. The reason I say this, is because I have bees & between my dogs & the Nite Guard lights things have improved 100% . Before this the bears even gave my dogs a bad time; they got to ignoring the dogs. I really hope things continue on like this. It also has been great for the two legged spieces so far. In the day time know one seems to see the lights either, they blend in well as they are so small. I have only told a select few about this & told them to look you folks up on the internet. I try to get the message out when I run across a great product like yours. Thanks Again Ellen
Would love to have this.
Trouble with foxes
Works great
We lost all our ducks & geese and many of our chickens to coyotes, raccoons and a great horned owl, then I found and installed the NightGuard predator lights (as directed) all around our large chicken yard and coop area — we have not had one loss since! NightGuard has proven to be a life saver for our birds, and also for our miniature goats and horses. We live in an area that has every major predator and we are serious about keeping all our livestock safe. My predator lights have been up and working for over 5 years now, and I need to replace a few of them so I hope I win!
We have several night time predators. It is a constant struggle.
I really need more..
When I was kid [now I’m 73] born and raised in Chicago far south side, remembering the chickens we had in our back yard. Always had eggs and at least once a month really fresh chicken dinner. I also remember when parents moved to that address 8400 south they told him what are moving out to the country that was more than 10 miles from Chicago proper
This would keep those predators off of my chickens!
I’d love to win this as I just moved to an area full of predators.
We have lots of predators on our farm and have been lucky so far. They are closed up at night. This is great for an extra piece of mind.
Would like to win the predator system for our hens!
Need more Niteguards
Could really use these items to keep my flock safe.
Awesome! I’d love to win!
Bear, raccoon, fox, all in a night’s work as a campground host. Would like to win this item for when we go back into a home with livestock this fall. Thank you.
Would like to win contest never entered one before on sites. Great info on this site first time for raising chickens getting girls in April can’t wait
Thank uou.
Sounds like a great product, would like to try it.
I would love to win these! I was just reading up on these a week ago. A friend uses them after losing chicks to raccoons and possums. She said there have been no more predator attacks
We used to free range, but lost 2 hens and two roosters in the last year. We have now fenced in a large area so they think they are free but not really p.we strung fishing line with Cd’s hanging off it to keep Hawks out…still worried about Owls. They do go into a locked coop at night and so far so good but I have found a few chew holes in the screening that is over the wire, not sure what is trying to get in.
I’ll be getting my first batch of chicks on May 7th. We have red-tailed hawks, beautiful bald eagles, wild cats, cyotes along with fox and other types of hawks. I would be so excited to be the winner of the NiteGuard.
My predator problem is in the form of ravens. They steal all of my hens freshly laid eggs. One sits out on the telephone pole as a sentry while the others go in to the coop and steals the eggs. When I arrive with the shotgun the sentry sounds a warning and they all take off. Ideas? Suggestions??
Tara,
If the ravens are going into the coop, try putting a distraction where they enter…something that makes noise.
Lori
In memory of Crackers, Hazel and Red Beard.
We have lost one Rhod island Red when her head was pulled off through the fence. Otherwise, after wrapping the entire enclosure in small weave chicken wire, there has not been another incident. Our wildlife camera has caught pictures of a fox, cat, dog, oppossum, raccoon, crow and snakes! This device would be added help, for sure!
This would’ve been sooooo valuable when a line mink killed over 2 dozen of the flock over a couple months till we found it to know even what to protect against. This is definitely a great opportunity to win a set of these!!!
Would love to win! Second year with chickens. 4 of our 8 chickens were killed by a fox last year. And minor hawk attacks to our surviving.
I’ve employed all the tips you mentioned to protect my precious hens from predators, and all I need now is the Nightguard to ensure that my babies are safe. Don’t want no wild animals to terrorize and tear apart and chew up my little lovelies.
Gotta keep those buggers away!!
I have been attempting to submit my contest entry however when I hit send, it clears the fields and doesn’t do anything. I have tried several times and don’t know if I’ve entered or not! 🙁
Cynthia,
If you clicked on send you should be entered.
Lori
Thank you, Lori!
I’ve been looking at these for a while now. I just wasn’t sure if they would really work! I’ve lost several chickens to predators!
I haven’t raised chicken before but am starting this spring, this would help me off to a great start!
I wanted to know if this nite guard or tape for the day also repels grasshoppers? I am only about to grow tomatoes which grasshoppers don’t like that much. I spray the yard each year but I am not able to keep these predators away.
No, products designed to deter chicken predators are not effective on insects. Depending on what you use to try to kill grasshoppers, you may be putting your chickens at risk. Note that chickens will catch and eat grasshoppers if they can catch them. GRasshoppers tend to be active during daylight, and reflective tape and solar “eye” predator repellents are most effective at night.
I agree with you, Judy. My girls love grasshoppers and they are a good source of protein. What a shame if someone is spraying poison on grasshoppers, which chickens love, only to poison their own birds.
I live in the woods and have many predators this would be a wonderful win for my pretty little ladies!
Thanks.
This is our first year with chickens as well. I try hard to keep them safe and well fed and happy. I would love to win this Niteguard ! I think it would help us out a lot. Thanks for the great stories and information. I enjoy this site.
We have lost 2 bantam roosters to Coopers Hawk (on the ground) then last month a Lynx (or bobcat) sliced through the bird netting across the top of the chicken run and got two large Dominique roosters. We are replacing the bird netting over the top with poultry wire. We have eagles, owls, hawks, coyotes, bear and cougar, al of which would love a chicken dinner.
Thank you for the opportunity to win a NiteGuard! This is my first year with chickens and I’m hoping to keep them safe with all the predators we have here in NH.
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